Cell Phone
by Gothic-Romantic99
Summary: Jack comes home late and finds Sally worried. As a result he buys a cell phone. In time he learns about the lovehate relationship that comes along with it.
1. Late

Disclaimer: I do not own The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Wow, this was one of the first stories I ever wrote on this site, back in 2007. I can't believe how long ago that was. As with all my stories, this one is in desperate need of revision. (It's embarrassing how poor the writing is here. :S )

* * *

It had been two full hours since the sun set in Halloweentown. Sally paced the floors inside the Skellington mansion with her arms around each other. Her gaze consistently landed on the front door then back at the land line phone attached to the wall. If Jack was ever needed for overtime he always made sure to give her a ring.

Sally's thoughts switched to the worst. Gruesome images of possible actions that could have happened at Town Hall flooded her mind. She gasped at the thought of Oogie Boogie having somehow returned to seek vengeance on the skeleton that had ended his reign of terror two years prior. Surely, Mayor would have contacted her had such a thing happened...unless he too had been a victim of the boogie man's wrath.

The rag doll's eyes fell on the phone and she hurried over to call Jack's office. Zero jumped up and wagged his tail with his tongue slightly hanging from his mouth. That was when she heard the turn of the lock quickly followed by the ghost dog's barking.

The door slowly opened revealing the wide-eyed skeleton dressed in one of his trademark pinstripe suits. He greeted his canine companion with a pat on the head. Zero performed two somersaults with a happy bark. Jack looked up to greet his wife, but the latter beat him to it as she wrapped her arms around his slender frame. Long arms embraced the red-haired woman's back and he pulled her closer to his person.

"Sally, what's wrong?" Jack asked upon hearing her softly sob. The woman kept silent for a few moments longer causing the skeleton to break contact and repeat his question.

"I was so worried," Sally answered while wiping away a falling tear. Her eyes widened and with a pout added, "You didn't even call. What was I supposed to think?"

"I'm sorry," Jack replied. "You know this month requires a lot of extra work. I couldn't get to a phone. I'm sorry, darling."

"I thought something bad happened to you," Sally retorted. She embraced her husband a second time and nuzzled against his skull. With a small smile on her face she added, "I'm just so glad you're okay."

"You have no need to worry," Jack said lifting Sally's chin up to meet his. "I can take care of myself."

"I know," Sally replied with a sigh. She wiped her eyes with the ball of her palms then sniffled. The somber look remained on her features. "But I still worry about you. I can't stop that, Jack."

"I didn't mean to upset you," Jack said.

In the depth of his bones he knew he would have to do something to keep an absent reply from ever occurring again.


	2. New Technology

Disclaimer: I do not own The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Author's Note: I wrote this chapter almost two years ago, and when I recently reread it, I decided I should rewrite several of these chapters with more detail and perhaps a better plot. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

The next morning Jack woke to the smell of eggs frying in the kitchen. He checked the spot beside his bed to find Sally missing. Jack stretched and slowly got up realizing that as dark as the morning may be, nothing exciting would come his way as long as the Mayor was involved.

After dressing in his nicest business suit Jack made his way into the kitchen to find his darling wife setting the overeasy eggs on two pewter dishes. Zero sat a little ways down from the smiling redhead gnawing on a hog's rib.

"Morning, Jack!" Sally sang as she hurried over to hug her true love.

Jack kissed her on the cheek making her giggle. The two took their seats at the table ready to consume the delicious meal before them.

Jack picked up the newspaper simply out of curiosity if something out of the ordinary mundane that is their world occurred of late.

"Huh," Jack spoke after taking a sip of his coffee. "It appears Grim Reaper proposed to Undersea Girl last night. They expect their wedding to take place sometime in the Winter."

"How exciting!" Sally cheered. "I've been looking forward to another wedding."

"Strange, with Winter being his busiest season," Jack said then took another gulp of the coffee.

Sally placed her face in her hand. "Remember our wedding? How lovely it was?" She sighed with a grin.

Jack placed the folded paper neatly down on the table and took Sally's hand. He stared into her bright, wide eyes and said, "My wedding to you was the best day of my life." Sally's ruby lips extended into a smile almost as wide as her stitchline. "Well, afterlife."

Sally giggled. "Yes. The moment I took that vow I knew you would make me the happiest woman to ever walk the realm of the dead."

Jack stroked Sally's hair.

Sally's smile fell. "Which is why I was so worried when I didn't know where you were yesterday." She pulled her hands away from Jack and folded them together against her heart. "Anything could've happened to you." She rose her eyes to meet with the pitiful sockets that belonged to her love. "There's no way I could go on without you in my life." She glanced down at the table as her eyes began to water with the thoughts of Jack's removal from her pleasant life.

Jack's bony fingers lifted Sally's chin. "I promise I won't make you worry anymore," he said. "At all costs I will find a way to get in touch with you from now on if I have to work late."

Sally smiled.

The cuckoo clock on the wall chimed. The skeleton of a bird emerged from the hole announcing the hour with its moaning chirps.

"Oh, wow!" Jack exclaimed. "I didn't realize the time. The Mayor will have a fit if I'm one second late. Then I'll spend half the morning trying to calm his nerves." He scarved down his breakfast and hurried for the door. "I'll see you tonight around seven."

Sally gave him one final kiss goodbye and waved as he disappeared from her sight. Sally glanced down at the ring on her finger. She brought it up to the candlelight that illuminated their dull house and smiled. There was no doubt in their marriage nor with their endless love for the other.

--

Jack reached townsquare and walked inside City Hall. He hurried past the secretary and lobbyist before they had the chance to speak to him, until he reached the little space out front to the Mayor's door. He turned the knob and poked his head through the door to find the Mayor pacing around the area in front of his desk. His worried face played the dominant role as he muttered to himself.

Jack cleared his throat and stepped inside.

The Mayor jumped and ran up to Jack. "Jack, we have a problem!"

Jack raised his brow waiting for the Mayor to explain.

"It's almost Halloween, we have to get on schedule!"

"Mayor," Jack objected, putting his hand on his skull. "It's only the second week of November. We have plenty of time."

"November!" Mayor shrieked. "Oh no! How could I have let it slip that far?" He gripped his chubby fingers over the brim of his hat. "At this rate we'll never complete it."

Jack groaned. Every day he heard the same cries escape the mouth of the man elected into office. Every once in a while he just wanted to grab Mayor by the neck and shake some sense into that empty head of his. Still, Mr. Skellington kept his professional manner and simply made his best attempt to level his colleague's irrational thoughts.

"Mayor," Jack calmly spoke. "We get through this every year, don't we?"

The Mayor nodded.

"Then I assure you, as king of this town, the same will happen this year," Jack said with one hand over his chest and the other up by his face.

"But this year's is more complicated," Mayor retorted.

"I give you my word," Jack replied.

Mayor nodded and some of his anxieties dropped.

"Okay?" Jack asked.

"Okay," Mayor answered. "But we'll have to work late again tonight."

Jack rolled his eyes.

"If we do," Jack mentioned as the Mayor rummaged his desk drawers for the plans he thought up the previous night after Jack left. "I'll have to call Sally. She was so worried last night." He turned to meet the now happy face of the Mayor. "Is your office phone still out of order."

Mayor nodded. "But you can call her on my cellphone."

"Your what?" Jack asked not entirely sure if he wanted to know.

"This," Mayor replied handing the razer to Jack.

"What is this?" Jack asked eyeing the tiny device.

"It's a phone," Mayor replied.

"No it's not," Jack laughed.

"Yes it is," Mayor argued. He took the phone from Jack and showed him how to work it. "You press these buttons to dial then put it up to your ear to talk."

"No way," Jack said marveling at the gadget.

"You should get one," Mayor spoke. "I'd be lost without mine."

"I think I will," Jack said as if he were in a trance.

He thanked the Mayor and walked out into the hallway to make his phone call. From the moment he turned from the elected official until he closed the door and put the phone up to his ear he expected someone to pull a practical joke on him. Instead he yanked the phone away from his ear and stared into the speaker as he heard it ringing.

Jack placed the phone back against his skull and listened as the other party picked up.

"Skellington residence, Sally speaking," his wife answered.

"Hey, Sal, it's me," Jack spoke.

"Hi, Jack," Sally said. "Are you staying out late again?"

"Afraid so," Jack replied. "The Mayor's worried about the schedule. I don't see what the big deal is, we have plenty of time ahead of us."

Sally giggled.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way, baby," Jack said with a sigh. "But it looks like I'll be home around eight-thirty, nine."

"That's fine," Sally said twisting the chord of the house phone around her fingers. "I see that the Mayor's phone has been repaired."

"Not exactly," Jack replied with a sly grin.

"Then how are you calling me? You said there were no phones for you to get to."

Jack exclaimed, "You're not going to believe this! There's a new invention called a cellphone! Mayor let me borrow his. It's a phone you carry around with you and allows you to make calls from wherever you go!"

"Are you serious?" Sally shouted. "That's amazing!"

"I know, it's spectacular!" Jack cried. "The Mayor advised I should get one so I'd always be in contact with you."

"Probably a good idea," Sally suggested.

"Then I'll go into town tomorrow and buy one," Jack replied.

"Jack," Sally said gravely. "I know you're excited, but please don't start obsessing over this like you did with Christmas."

"Why would I obsess?" Jack asked.

"Just promise me."

"I promise."

Sally smiled. "Then I suppose I'll see you much later tonight."

"Yeah, I'll miss you," Jack replied.

They made kissing sounds over the phone then Sally hung up.

Jack took one last glance at the object in front of him. He wondered how long something of this magnificence had been around and how come no one ever told him of its existence sooner. It definitely was a purchase that needed to be made.

A whirring sound brought Jack out of his daydream. His eye sockets widened as he stared down at the many buttons on the body of the phone, leaving him hesitant to touch a one.

"Hey, Mayor," Jack called as he stepped back inside the office. "How do you turn this off?"


	3. Buying A Phone

I would like to thank NightmareFairy, Drifting Wolf, and Munkustrapthecat for your reviews of the story. Your feedback was much appreciated. Thanks!

I hope that all of you will continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

The following day Jack and Sally agreed to venture to the technology store together. Jack wanted Sally to accompany him so he could show her just how awesome the new invention truly was. Sally agreed to go because she was curious about this new miracle of communication.

They walked hand-in-hand to the store, waving to everyone they met on the street. The residents of Halloween town often mentioned how sweet they thought it was that after their fifteenth year married, Jack and Sally still had an immense love for one another. The Skellington couple could care less of the words spoken about them, glad to give their friends something exciting to talk about if it would help aid the opportunity for more romances to blossom.

The two stepped up in front of the shop in which Mayor revealed he bought his phone. Supposedly that store carried the newest technology which included the best cellular phones anyone in Halloweentown had to offer. Jack and Sally looked at each other, took a deep breath, and made their way through the glass doors.

The two were taken back in awe at the array of gadgets lining the walls. The plain household appliances Sally used on a daily basis were outshined by these new and improved models. In another aisle sat the advanced sewing machine Sally had her eye on of late. There was a whole section of the store dedicated to computers alone. Sally and Jack used their internet for e-mailing purposes alone, in which Jack's mailbox was always overflowing, mostly with letters from the Mayor. Sally's usually contained messages from Jewel, the doctor, and close friends, but often the townspeople asking her to get in touch with Jack for them.

Their attention drifted over to the aisles with the overhanging giant sign with a picture of a telephone painted on it. Sally smiled at Jack then the two of them walked side-by-side to said section of the store.

Sally was stunned at the display in front of her eyes. She felt like a child, wanting to touch and try every object that came into her view. Landline phones came in every color she could imagine. She especially loved the pastel blue and purple one. They telephones also came in various shapes, some with clocks attached to them. Still it was what was in the next aisle that they came for.

Jack and Sally both gasped at the array of cellphones, each one more interesting than the next. Like the regular phones, the cellulars had just as wide of a variety. Some came with special features, some of them pretty much useless, but still used to trap the victim into buying what they did not need.

"Um, Jack," Sally softly spoke through her throat. "What do we pick?"

"Good question," Jack replied not removing his sight from the phones.

"What do we need?" Sally asked upon regaining her senses.

"Something simple," Jack replied having noticed the high price range on some of the choices. "Something that can make calls."

They returned their attention to the numerous phones in their vision. They pondered of all the possibilities what they should choose.

"Hey, Jack!" a voice called from behind them. "Are you buying a cellphone?"

The Skellingtons turned to greet the tiny faces of the town's trick-or-treaters. Usually Jack did not have the patients neccessary to deal with them, but at the present moment even the obnoxious children did not lower his mood.

Jack nodded in reply to Lock's question.

"Are you getting one too?" Barrel asked Sally.

"No, I have no use for one," Sally replied.

"But what if there's an emergency and neither of you can get to a phone," Lock suggested.

Sally's eyes widened and she glanced over at Jack who instantly read her thoughts.

"That is a good point," Sally said emphasizing her thought.

Jack agreed. He turned to the children and asked, "How do the three of you know so much about cellphones anyway?"

"We each have one," Shock answered handing her phone to Jack.

He took hold of the girl's device and stared at it. It was much thicker than the Mayor's, a different brand, and her favorite shade of purple.

"Except me," Barrel spoke. "'Cause someone here threw mine against the wall and broke it."

"Well you shouldn't have left it on my side of the room," Lock argued.

"You didn't have to break it," Barrel retorted getting in Lock's face.

"I'm tired of you leaving all your crap on my side!"

Lock grabbed hold of his brother's shirt.

"You see what I have to put up with," Shock said to the adults.

"Is this a good phone, Shock?" Jack asked.

Shock nodded. "Mine can download ringtones and I can set it to a specific caller."

"That's nothing," Lock said as he released Barrel and pulled out his phone. It was blue with flames painted along the front. "Mine has more games than you can imagine."

"Well mine gave the time and had a cool background," Barrel said. "Until someone here broke it."

"You're getting a new one so shut up!" Lock snapped.

"But now I have to rerecord everyone's numbers," Barrel said sadly.

"But me and Shock were the only numbers you had."

"Nu-uh, I also had the Mayor's."

"What would _you_ want with the Mayor's number?" Jack asked suspiciously as he handed Shock back her phone.

"That's our secret," Shock said with a sly smile upon receiving her phone.

The store clerk, a young apparition, approached the group with a large smile. The five greeted him at once.

"Can I help you find something?" he asked politely.

"Yes, we're looking for a cellphone," Jack answered.

"Two phones," Sally corrected.

Jack nodded. The clerk smiled and beckoned them to follow him down the aisle.

He made no effort to hide the excitement on his face that he personally was the one who won the chance to help the King of Halloween make a purchase. The moment he stepped in all seven employees jumped at the chance to be the one to assist him. Upon realizing that only one could offer assistance, the manager came up with the notion to draw lots and whoever had the longest straw would be the winner. The manager tried to cheat, but the clerk was too quick for his tricks and selected the straw the manager carelessly eyed throughout the duration of the process. No doubt the other employees were sending curses his way, some of them literally, and wishing the worst for their colleague. None of that mattered since he would be the one to receive the gratitude from the head boss at the end of the day.

"Now what are you looking for in a phone?" the clerk asked. "We have many selections."

"Just something to make calls," Jack answered.

"And tell the time," Sally added.

Barrel stuck out his tongue at his siblings with a smug look on his face. Lock frowned and punched his younger brother in the arm. Barrel was about to sock Lock back when Shock grabbed his arm.

"We're in public!" she snapped.

"So?" the two boys asked in unison.

Shock found no reason to contradict them. "Good point. Carry on."

Lock and Barrel continued their brawl.

"We have just what you're looking for," the clerk replied. He picked a phone off the shelf and allowed the king to observe it. "The plan for this one is also very good. Only forty a month for both…"

The three turned around to investigate the clatter behind them and discovered that Lock pushed Barrel into a shelf.

"Hey!" the clerk hissed. "You break it, you buy it."

The two boys stared up at the clerk's glare and gulped. The two of them moved three feet away from the merchandise to continue fighting.

"Sounds good to me," Jack said.

"Me too," Sally agreed.

Jack smiled at Sally then the both of them returned their focus to the clerk.

"We'll take them," Jack announced.

"Great," the clerk cheered. He picked up a second phone and handed the package to the Halloween queen.

The other employees watching the scene grumbled under their breaths at the youth's success.

The two of them walked up to the counter to buy their phones and sign up for their plans. They were now proud owners of their first cellular phones.

* * *

I'm not exactly sure of this movie's time period, but I think it was definately supposed to be set before the time the movie came out (judging by the clothes, telephones, cars, etc), so I would expect Jack and Sally to be astonished by something like a cellphone upon entering the new millenium. Anyway, I hope you liked the improvements to this chapter.


	4. Numbers

Author's Note: Again, chapters 2, 3, and 4 have been rewritten. I'm think that the other chapters are fine the way they are. I might redo chapter 5 and maybe 6, but I don't think so, at least not right now. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the new version of this story. I wanted to add more detail, and a few more Jack/Sally moments, such as their little romantic date in this chapter.

On with the story!

* * *

After the purchases and all the paperwork Jack and Sally Skellington each owned their own cellphone. They left the store with their new objects in their hands. They walked around town, neither saying a word to the other, both wearing content smiles on their faces.

At last they reached the center of Halloweentown. The two glanced at each other then down at the phones in their grip. They shared a thought of why they didn't feel more excited. It was what the both of them wanted. Right?

Jack fidgeted with the object in his bony hand.

"So what now?" Sally asked.

"I know! I'll call you!" Jack exclaimed.

He flipped the protective lid of his phone up and began to dial the number belonging to his wife that he already processed to memory.

Sally watched with wide eyes almost left speechless.

"Um, Jack," Sally said just before he hit the "send" button on his phone. The skeleton turned with a smile to meet the frown on his wife's face. "I'm standing right here."

"Oh yeah," Jack said. He laughed at his own silliness and closed the phone, revealing it to be a little after two. He smiled at Sally, then at the phone before putting it in his pants pocket.

Sally slipped her fingers around Jack's and leaned her face on his shoulder.

"If anything, love, I've enjoyed spending the day with you," Sally said with her eyes closed.

It was the first time in almost two years that Jack had the day off. The Mayor was not too thrilled when Jack announced the day before that he was taking the next off. In fact, he tried everything in his power to change the Pumpkin King's mind, but Jack would not budge. The Mayor even went so far to beg and cry in order to keep Jack focused on the work. Jack explained to him that he promised he would spend the day with his wife. He was about to offer working later the next two weeks, but it was when Mayor had the nerve to ask Jack to cancel his plans with Sally that his previous thought slipped through his mind. He straightened his posture and told Mayor right there in plain English that he was taking the day off and that was the final thought on the matter.

That morning Mr. Skellington enjoyed being able to sleep in and have a deep conversation with Sally at breakfast. Then he took Zero for a walk through the neighborhood as Sally readied to go into town. After buying their phones Jack proposed they go out for lunch. Sally jumped at the opportunity to join her husband on a lunch date. So far he felt no guilt at the words he spoke to the Mayor.

"You hungry?" Sally asked.

Jack nodded, remembering his promise to take Sally out to lunch. The two walked to the nearby café. With it being later in the afternoon, most of the customers having already ate and left. Upon seeing Jack and Sally, the owner of the store smiled and had them immediately seated outside. Sally took her seat in the gray, Romanesque based chair across from Jack. Above their heads was a black and white swirled umbrella blocking out the dim sunlight.

They were brought complimentary glasses of ale. Since Jack helped with the planning and building of the structure, as well as stopped an arson attempt on the building years ago, he and Sally were allowed to eat free whenever they wanted. The owners also invited the two to the party they held every year. The waitress hurried over and took their order. Both Jack and Sally requested their favorite sandwiches off the menu and received them with haste.

The two ate with delightful conversation for almost a half hour.

Sally smiled, but after a while her lips fell into a frown.

"What's wrong, Sal?" Jack asked. "Aren't you enjoying yourself?"

"I am," Sally replied. She pushed her empty plate away from her. "I just wish we could have more time to ourselves like this."

"We will," Jack replied taking hold of her hand. "When the summer comes and the tension for our plans die down, I'll take two weeks off."

Sally smiled. "Promise?"

"Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

Sally shook her head. Jack returned to finishing his meal, keeping his sight on the beautiful creature that he was lucky enough to marry. He often reminded himself that when she had a strong feeling about something, she was more than likely correct and he should heed her advice. It was her honesty with him about her bad feelings that made him love her all the more. It was in these little moments that he wanted to spend every available second with her.

The silence was ruined upon the arrival of the werewolf and the clown with the tear-away face. Sally sighed then put on a smiling face to greet the uninvited Halloweentown citizens. She and Jack could not go anywhere without someone wanting to have a word with him.

"Hey, Jack," the werewolf said.

"Yeah, never thought I'd see you out on the town," the clown added.

"Hey, fellows," Jack said turning to face them. "What brings you out?"

"Lunch," the clown replied with a cackle.

Jack chuckled.

"So are the rumors true?" the werewolf asked.

Jack felt a sinking in his stomach of what the possible rumors about his life now surfaced the town. Sally also looked up with a shared interest.

"I heard you got a new cellphone," the werewolf answered.

"Sure do," Jack replied pulling out the plain, black phone. "Just got it today."

"Awesome!" the clown exclaimed. "Here's my number. You have to put me in your address book." He handed the slip of paper to the Pumpkin King.

The werewolf, also anticipating truth of the tale, had written his number on a scrap sheet of paper as well. He handed it to Jack who promised to record them both. After a few more minutes of chatting, the two headed inside to eat before their lunch break ended.

After dinning Jack and Sally made their way back to the house. Sally already had an afternoon planned for the two of them in which they both were looking forward to. Little did they know that they would be stopped by almost every person on the street who wanted to exchange numbers with Jack. Not a one of them offered their number to Sally, in fact they completely ignored her when she kindly tried to tell them they were interfering with their plans.

The ghosts crowded around the pumpkin king and one of the witches knocked the queen out of the way. Sally tripped over the demon's shoe, who was waiting his turn to speak with Jack, and fell to the ground. She cut her arm on one of the jagged edges. Sally scooted away from the others and quickly sewed the rip with the handy needle and thread she always made sure to carry with her.

"Sally!" a female voice called to her.

Sally jumped up to almost be tackled a second time by the snug embrace of her stepmother. The giggling blonde squeezed Sally and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Sally, I haven't seen you in ages!" Jewel exclaimed.

"Are you on another errand?" Sally asked noticing the purse on Jewel's shoulder.

"Yes, the doctor needs me to get some herbs from the shop," Jewel replied. "But while I was out I decided to stop by a few other places and found a few things for myself."

She opened up her purse to reveal a plastic bag inside. Within the bag was a crystallized vial with some kind of black liquid inside.

Sally gasped when she read the label. "Is that the new Swamp Perfume?"

Jewel nodded. "It was on sale at the scent store. I saw it and had to buy it right there." She opened it up and sprayed a squirt on Sally's arm. Sally raised her arm up to her nose and inhaled its musty odor. She smiled.

"Very nice," Sally replied.

"I know," Jewel said as she put the perfume away. "I probably shouldn't have got it, but what's it going to hurt, right?" She nudged Sally in the side. "By the way it'll teach him to always send me out and get all his ingredients for his experiments that he needs 'right away.'"

Sally laughed.

"So why don't you come over anymore? Or call?" Jewel asked.

"I've been busy," Sally sighed. "But now that I got a new cellphone I can call more often."

"You bought a phone?" Jewel gasped.

Sally nodded and showed her said phone. Jewel snatched it away and placed her number inside Sally's address book, showing her how to do so, assuming she had yet to learn that tactic herself. She handed it back to her stepdaughter.

"Call me if you ever need anything," Jewel said.

"I don't know if I'll ever get the hang of this thing," Sally said. "It's so complicated."

"You'll get used to it. I tried to tell the doctor that, but he feels that technology that he didn't create himself is worthless."

The two shared a laugh.

"Well, I have a few more spots to go before getting back to the laboratory," Jewel said with a sigh. "But good catching up with you, Sally."

"You too," Sally spoke as she waved her stepmother off.

By the time she left the crowd had finally cleared and Jack was able to see his wife again. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. Sally leaned her head against Jack's chest, and drummed her fingers over his shoulder.

"So much chaos over a phone," Sally spoke.

"Yeah, but now I can keep in contact with everyone," Jack said.

Sally nodded.

"It's so amazing," Jack muttered glancing over at the phone.

Sally broke away from him and crossed her arms, giving him a minor glare. "Remember, you are not to obsess over it."

"I won't," Jack replied. "I promised, didn't I?"

Sally smiled and gave him another hug.

"Anyway, let's get back to this afternoon you worked so hard to plan," Jack said taking Sally's hand.

The two began their journey home once more. She glared down at the phone in Jack's other hand. Even though she knew her thoughts were silly, even verging on mad, she couldn't help but feel a little jealousy towards the new purchase. She only hoped it would not take her place in his heart.


	5. Huge Mistake

Disclaimer: I do not own The Nightmare Before Christmas

Jack went to another meeting with the Mayor the next morning.

"Jack!" the Mayor yelled rushing to him. "You're two minutes late! Two minutes! We wasted a good two minutes worth of planning! We're going to be so far behind that we may have to cancel Halloween!"

"Calm down, Mayor," Jack said annoyed. "I'll stay after two minutes to make it up."

"Well now it's three because we wasted another minute talking!" the Mayor cried.

"Fine, three," Jack said trying to calm the Mayor down.

"Okay!" the Mayor said.

Basically, the meeting was the same as all the others all week. The Mayor puts out some ideas and wait for Jack to give his opinion. If Jack found one flaw, just one, in the plan it would be thrown out. If Jack had one compliment about the plan, the Mayor kept the plan and added on for the next meeting. That's the way it usually went from the beginning of November through the end of January. As soon as February hit, the town had the idea set of what they were going to work towards up until June. When June hit they start up trial runs first with dummies to test out safety. In July they began the tests with "volunteers" (unexpected victims they randomly decided to try the plan on). In August and September final touches were made. Once October came, they practiced until the 30th. On the 31st of October, the plans were put into action to scare every mortal they possibly could. It was the same routine every year, with every year being better than the previous one.

"Jack!" the Mayor called as Jack left the room.

"Just a sec., I have to call Sally," Jack said.

"Don't you need a phone?" the Mayor asked.

"I have one, I bought it yesterday," Jack said showing the Mayor his phone.

Jack called Sally telling her that he was going to be a few minutes late.

"You bought a phone?" the Mayor asked hopping up and down.

"Yeah," Jack said. "It's rather handy."

"I _need _your number," the Mayor said taking out his phone.

Jack and the Mayor exchanged numbers.

Later that night when Jack and Sally were sitting at the table eating dinner, Jack's cell rang.

"Who'd be calling me at this hour?" Jack asked.

Sally shrugged.

"Hello," Jack answered.

"Hey, Jack, it's me," the Mayor said on the other line.

"But I just talked to you two hours ago," Jack said.

"Yes, but this is important!" the Mayor whined.

"Hang on," Jack said to the Mayor. He turned to Sally and said, "Excuse me, this'll take two minutes."

Jack didn't wait for a reply from Sally. He walked out of the dinning room to continue his conversation.

"Make it quick," Jack said.

"Can you arrive an hour early tomorrow?" the Mayor asked more like a whine.

"That's what's so important?" Jack asked annoyed.

"Well, you always call Sally telling her you're going to be late, so if you don't go home late, we'll waste less time," the Mayor said.

"Very well," Jack said. "See you tomorrow." He hung up and returned to the table.

"What was that about?" Sally asked.

"The Mayor wants me to go in an hour early tomorrow," Jack answered.

Sally grumbled.

"But I'll be coming home on time," Jack said hoping to make Sally happy.

Sally smiled wishing Jack didn't have to work all the time.

By the end of the week Jack regretted giving the Mayor his number. The Mayor called about every little thing every time there was a simple problem. At one point Jack felt like taking his phone and throwing it out the window.

Jack started thinking maybe the cellular wasn't all it was cracked up to be. He knew nothing yet.


	6. Lost Phone

Disclaimer: I do not own The Nightmare Before Christmas

Jack finally learned how to put the phone on silent so he wouldn't have to hear that annoying ringing everytime the Mayor called. Ninety-five percent of all the calls Jack received were from the Mayor.

It was time for the citizens of Halloweentown to begin carrying out the plans. Jack was talking to the hanging tree and the witches when his phone rang.

"What does he want now?" Jack said to himself.

The Mayor complained about a few glitches in the plan that he was to afraid to fix himself.

"I'll be there in a minute," Jack said as he hung up.

Barrel, Shock, and Lock ran close to Jack with apples in their hands ready to throw at him.

Jack continued walking and dropped his cell phone.

Barrel dropped the apples and ran over to Jack's phone. He picked it up and yelled, "Jack, wait!"

Jack turned around as Lock got an idea and snatched the phone away from his brother.

"What is it, Barrel?" Jack asked.

"Nevermind, it's not important," Lock said. "You need to go help the Mayor."

Jack looked at them suspiciously, but went to where the Mayor was moaning.

"Why'd you take that?" Barrel asked. "You know how mad Jack will be when he finds out you stole his phone?"

"I'm not stealing it," Lock said.

Shock joined her brothers.

"Is that Jack's phone?" she asked.

"Yeah," Lock said with an evil smile. "Forget the apples, I have something better planned."

After fixing the simple problem that the Mayor could've easily handled on his own, Jack realized Sally hadn't called him yet.

He reached into his pocket and noticed his cell phone missing. He checked his other pocket and then searched his coat pocket. Jack began to panic. What was he going to do without his phone? Even though he lived without it for many years, now it seemed vital.

Jack began retracing his every step searching for his cellular. The Mayor ran up to him.

"Jack, there's another dilemma!" the Mayor cried timidly.

"Hold on, Mayor," Jack said. "I seemed to have misplaced my phone."

"What?" the Mayor screamed. "This is terrible. How will I keep in touch with you?"

Jack began thinking perhaps losing the phone wasn't all that bad.

The Mayor took out his megaphone and yelled, "Terrible news, everyone! The Pumpkin King lost his cell phone! Without being able to contact him we won't be able to stay on schedule!"

Everyone starred blankly at the Mayor.

Jack grabbed the Mayor's megaphone and said, "It's not that big of a deal, everyone. The Mayor is just stressed out. Ignore his last announcement."

Everyone did as Jack said and returned to their jobs.

"Jack, we need to find your phone!" the Mayor panicked.

"Mayor, we put on an innumerous amount of Halloween scares in the past when I didn't have that piece of junk," Jack said. "You can still reach me on my home phone and there's always telegrams or letters."

"But it's not as efficient," the Mayor complained.

"We'll survive," Jack said.

The Mayor continued to worry.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll continue to look for it," Jack said.

The Mayor's happy face turned around to the front as he clapped his hands.

Jack went on searching for his cell phone.

"Jack!" Barrel called.

"Not now," Jack said.

"But we found your cell," Shock said sweetly.

"You dropped it," Lock said handing Jack his phone.

"You three are heroes!" the Mayor cheered.

The trick-or-treaters stared at Jack with a confused expression on their faces. Jack shrugged and thanked them for finding his phone.

As Jack walked away the kids began to cackle menacingly. Jack knew nothing of what they had planned for him.


	7. Alarms

Disclaimer: I do not own The Nightmare Before Christmas

At exactly 2:04 am, the alarm on Jack's cell phone went off. He and Sally woke up startled. Zero rose up from his bed and started barking like crazy.

"Jack, what's going on?" Sally screamed.

"I don't know," Jack said turning on the light.

He saw his phone vibrating on the table as the alarm sounded.

"What the?" Jack asked as he picked his phone up.

"What did that stupid thing do now?" Sally asked irritated.

"Looks like an alarm," Jack said confused.

"Why'd you set an alarm this early?" Sally asked.

"I didn't even know it had an alarm," Jack said as he turned it off.

Jack put the phone back on the table and went back to bed.

"I must've set it by accident," Jack thought to himself.

At 5:08, the alarm went off again. Sally slammed her pillow on the floor.

"Jack, get that thing out of here!" Sally shouted.

Jack did as Sally requested. He put the phone in the desk dwar in the living room.

He returned to the room to see Sally not making eye-contact with him.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked.

"Jack, I think it was a mistake to buy a phone," Sally said.

"Maybe," Jack said. "It has its disadvantages, but also its good points."

"If it wakes me again I'm going to toss it out the window," Sally threatened.

"Go ahead, I have no objections," Jack said attempting to sleep again.

As he lie in his bed, Jack wondered why the alarms went off. He never set those alarms and no one else could've tampered with it since he had it on his person all day. Even if he did set them unintentionally, there should not be more than one. He suddenly remembered losing his phone in the street yesterday. Jack tried to remember: he was talking to the Mayor, the Mayor was freaking out, and Oogie's boys returned the phone to him. That's when it occurred to him. That was the only explanation that made sense.

Jack woke up at 7:30 to get ready for another day of Halloween preparations. After he got dressed and fixed up to go out in public, he went to pick up his cell phone. At 8:23 another alarm went off.

"How many did they set?" he asked himself.

Jack stood outside his house and saw the dead flower Sally was fond of. He picked one of them and went back inside. Jack tiptoed back into the bedroom and placed the flower down on Sally's pillow.

When Sally woke she smiled at the flower her husband left for her as an apology gift.

At 9:13 another alarm went off. Jack became a little irritated as he met up with the mayor.

"Hey, Jack," the Mayor exclaimed.

"Hey, can I ask you a favor," Jack said.

The Mayor's nervous head spinned around in fear of what Jack would ask.

"Could you check to see if anymore alarms are set?" Jack asked.

The Mayor's head turned back to the happy one as he did as Jack wanted.

"No more," the Mayor said. "You sure had some set at weird times."

"I didn't," Jack groaned. "But I think I know who did."

"That's nice," the Mayor said looking at the Halloween plans. "Now onto the work."

Jack complied to the Mayor's request, but the only thing on his mind was to find out if it were the children who set the alarms.

"By the way," the Mayor said. "I called you around nine last night."

"Oh," Jack said as he pretended he didn't know. "I think the battery was out."

"Oh," the Mayor said. "No problem. I'll show you how to charge it while it's still on so you never miss another call."

Jack grumbled to himself. There was no way for him to win that battle.


	8. Pizza Order

Disclaimer: This is the last time I will post the disclaimer for it will count for the rest of the story. I will never own The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Author's Note: For those of you reading, thanks for being patient. I know it's been over a year, but I now have an eighth chapter for you loyal readers. Enjoy!

----------------------

The mayor refused to leave Jack's side as he whined about everything from the amount of time flying by to the amount of time taking to complete their plans, to trivial matters such as the color scheme of their current project.

"Those colors don't match," Mayor complained.

"We'll deal with that later," Jack replied, attempting to keep his voice down.

"But it's blue and black, it should be red and black, or green and black. Blue and black won't work."

Jack growled and spun around towards the mayor. "I said we'll deal with that when the painter arrives!" he howled.

Mayor gasped and fell backwards.

"I'm sorry," Jack said straightening his posture and holding his forehead. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

Mayor picked himself up and backed away as Jack strolled towards the graveyard.

"Where you going?" Mayor called.

"I need to clear my head," Jack answered as his slender body slipped behind the gate.

Jack moved through the ever somber soil decorated with marble stones as he made his way to his favorite spot. That solitary location dubbed itself as a shared point where he and Sally would venture either alone or together as a minor vacation from the stresses of Halloween.

Mayor turned around wishing he could be as graceful as Jack. He frowned to himself wondering how come he was still alone. After all he was the mayor and had been elected five times in a row.

It was Jack's idea that the political power of Halloweentown be split for he wanted the residents to have a say in the planned activities. Sure he still pulled rank, especially since he was the only one who could fix any pickle the town found itself in, but felt it both fair to the subjects and less a burden on himself to share power. At first the citizens were overwhelmed by the idea of a mayor, but soon found the idea to be grand. It took nearly a year before they found someone with enough experience to run the town under Jack. Mayor had been handpicked by Jack years before as the head of many projects, including being appointed official note taker and overseer of production for the past seventeen years. On top of that he himself accidentally found a new use for slime. With all that to his name the people of Halloweentown chose him as their mayor. Jack still handled anything that had to do with Halloween or frights, and made the laws, but Mayor acted out the roles of more localized government.

Mayor sat down on a bench and covered his face with his palms. The wrinkles in his skin soon wiped away the forming sweat. He looked up at the sun and wondered how come courting never seemed to work out for him. He pondered if the fact he was so dependent on others proved to be the reason for scaring away women. Jack was lucky enough to find a good woman to love and honor him for the rest of eternity. Mayor leaned back knowing he was nowhere near as great a man as Jack, but still figured he deserved to be happy and eventually find love. He cared not how she looked, sang, or anything of the sort, he just wanted someone to accept him for who he was. Although not picky, he preferred someone with a dominant personality so she could take care of the majority of the decisions. Maybe someday he would find what he lacked in life.

Mayor woke from his pity by the phone singing the choired tune of "This is Halloween." He looked at the caller ID to find a number recording itself as an unknown Halloweentown resident.

Mayor flipped open the phone and answered, "Hello."

"Hello," a mellow voice returned.

"Mayor of Halloweentown speaking," he clarified.

"Yeah, I want a large with extra cheese, sausage, and anchovies," the voice said.

"What?"

"No, make it two larges."

"Who is this?" Mayor asked beginning to bite his nails.

"Dude, I want a large pizza. Two large pizzas."

"You have the wrong number," Mayor said.

"No. Listen. Two large pizzas with…"

"You have the wrong number," Mayor cried.

"Dude. Don't talk to your customers like that," the voice hissed.

"JACK!!!" Mayor called turning away from the phone.

Jack glanced up from his moping position to find the Mayor out in the courtyard waving his arms over his head, nearly knocking his hat off. Jack sighed and began his walk back to the elected official.

"Dude, you listening?" the voice called over the speaker.

Mayor put the phone on the bench and backed up, contemplating if he should hang up. Pizzas. He had no clue how to make a pizza, nor did he currently hold the resources to refer the other party to the correct number.

"What now?" Jack asked returning to his friend.

"Jack!" Mayor gasped.

Jack put his hands on his hips waiting for an answer.

"The phone," Mayor cried pointing to the phone.

Jack shrugged.

"They want pizza," he squeaked.

At first Jack raised his brow, but soon slouched and reached out his hand to pick it up.

"Yes," Jack answered putting the phone up to his head.

"Yeah, man. I want some pizza. Why you ain't listening?" the voice boomed.

"Look there is no pizza, you have the wrong number," Jack said calmly with a hint of firmness in his voice.

The other end went silent for a few seconds.

"Hello," Jack said drumming his fingers on the inside of his opposing elbow.

"Sorry, man. Wrong number," the voice said before hanging up.

"Strange," Jack said to himself before tossing the razor back to the mayor. He began walking away to check on the ghosts' progress of the scare tactics, the major flaw in yesterday's rehearsal.

"Jack, I was so worried," Mayor confessed. "I didn't know what to do."

Jack spun around glaring at the mayor, "You know, maybe you should start to show a little more spine, then maybe people will take you seriously,"

Mayor stopped in his tracks not liking the tone in Jack's voice.

"You're the mayor," Jack explained. "You need to show confidence."

Jack left the Mayor with those words as he headed off to continue with his work.

Mayor looked down at the blank phone trying to make sense of what Jack meant. He put the phone away before looking back at the skeleton moving away.

"Jack, wait!" cried Mayor. "I need the plans for displaying confidence. WAIT!!!"

Several miles away in the top room of the tree house three children cackled while rolling on the floor.

"Great," Lock said dropping his phone.

"You got the wrong number," Shock mocked almost rolling on the phone.

"Careful!" Lock snapped grabbing his phone out of his sister's range.

Shock smacked Lock in the face before sitting down next to Barrel.

"Who should we call next?" Barrel asked staring up at the ceiling while unwrapping a pumpkin flavored lollypop.

"How about the Halloween queen?" Lock answered with a smirk.

The other two nodded as Lock's fingers dialed the number for the Skellington mansion.


	9. Texts

Disclaimer: I do not own The Nightmare Before Christmas. As for the ringtone number, it was something I made up, so if it happens to be a real number, I apologize and did not mean anything by it. So, on with the story.

* * *

Sally stood in the kitchen sweeping away the dust, while trying to avoid a playful Zero from attacking the cleaning utensil. He wagged his tail and nose as he readied to pounce on the broom. He launched forward, grabbing hold of the twigs.

"Zero, let go!" shouted Sally.

The more she struggled the harder he yanked.

Sally huffed and searched the area smiling as her eyes landed upon a squeaky, green ball. She grasped the ball and threw it up in the air catching Zero's attention. He looked up and barked with a smile. Sally tossed the toy and Zero zipped after it.

Sally resumed the task while the radio played the somber tones she adored.

A short while later her phone buzzed. Sally turned around to spot the plain cellular sitting on the counter, vibrating along with a ringtone as dull as the device. She picked it up to see the image of an envelope on the screen. She flipped it back to find Jewel's name under the closed envelope and the words "New Text Message." At the bottom it read two options: open and delete.

Sally stared at the two choices pondering on what a text was. She heard it several times mentioned on the radio and from the mouths of several Halloweentown citizens. Never in her life would she imagine a text to be sent to her.

Her finger hovered over the button, wondering which one she should press. Upon buying it she made it clear to Jack that the two of them would use the phone in case of emergencies and to get in touch with one another, or in Jack's case the Mayor. The clerk never mentioned that the phones they purchased had access to texts.

Sally moved her lips and lowered her finger to the button underneath "open." She stopped just before it touched the key remembering the time she was at the market overhearing one witch tell the other that when her niece was given her cell phone (at the time not knowing what a cell phone was, nor caring to find out) and ran up a huge bill on texting costs. Sally shut the phone telling herself she should discuss texting with Jack before falling into the realm she could never return from.

Just as she was about to put the phone back on the counter it rang with another text message from her stepmother. Sally's nerves twitched along with her fingers.

Zero returned to the kitchen with the ball and dropped it in front of Sally's feet. She looked down at him then back to the phone. Zero gave a small yip. Sally bent down to pick up the toy. She stared back at the phone then looked at Zero.

"What do you think?" she asked.

Zero tilted his head to the side.

"Do you think Jack will mind?"

Zero gave a louder bark.

"I think you're right," Sally said then tossed the ball.

Zero began to chase after it but turned back to Sally as she paced with the phone in her hands.

She took a deep breath and said, "Just one won't hurt."

She pressed the "open" button and the screen switched to a white background with black letters that read:

_Sally did you get my last message it's an emergency._

Sally put her hand over her mouth to wonder what could be bothering Jewel. Perhaps something was wrong with the doctor, or maybe someone had broken into their house, or what if she was pregnant?

Sally shook her head with a tiny giggle at her last thought. She could simply call Jewel, for her number was saved in the address book. But there was something novel and exciting about opening that text message. It was almost like opening a birthday card or a personal letter with her name scribbled on the outside. It was much more personal then calling to hear a voice. It gave her a sensation that begged to be experienced again.

She went back to the text message screen and grinned as she selected the first message. A wondrous feeling was released as the words appeared on the phone. She read:

_Sally your fathers birthday is coming up. I was wondering what kind of…_

Sally's eyes widened. She searched the screen up and down wondering why the message just ended like that. Finally she saw a gray line much like on the computer when there is more to read when scrolling down. Sally shrugged and pressed the downward key to reveal the rest of the message.

_cake I should make him. Please hurry back._

Sally giggled again. It was just like Jewel to get upset over the simplest thing. Dr. Finklestein told her numerous times that while he adored his wife and would not trade her for the most advance creation in the world, she desperately needed to take cooking lessons.

Sally pressed the "options" button under the message and pressed downwards to the "Call" button. She stopped as above it rested another option which read "reply." She looked back at the dog who sat there smiling.

"Just one text and I'm done," Sally said as she pressed the button.

She looked down at the numbers on the phone as a message screen popped up awaiting her reply. Sally eagerly pushed the buttons that answered Jewel's message. When she finished it read:

_Make him a worm cake with spider icing. Yummy._

Sally pressed the button and released a malicious laugh as the words "Sending your message" flashed across the screen.

Sally placed the phone down and turned towards Zero.

"I'm glad that's out of my system," she said.

Just then her favorite song came on the radio. Her eyes lit up as she spun to the stringed instruments and flute that swirled notes into a blend of morbid beauty. Her red hair twirled around her body. Her smile reached its peak and her bright eyes shone with the power of two thousand moons. If Jack could see her now he too would be wrapped up in the simple bliss that occupied his wife.

As the song came to a stop the radio DJ's sultry voice came on and said, "We play the best funeral music all day. If you like that one why not add it as your ringtone."

Sally's eyes turned to the radio. It would be nice to have something other than the horrid default tones supplied.

"Just text MOURNING4 to this station to receive your tone. Coming up another hour of gloomy tunes. First a word from our sponsors."

Sally picked up her phone and said to herself, "I rarely buy anything for myself. Why not?" With that she texted the station and her ringtone began to download.

Zero whined as Sally hummed with the tune of her new tone.

Soon the new ringtone, which had yet to be assigned, was interrupted by a number Sally did not recognize. She pressed the "Talk" button and greeted the unfamiliar party.

"Yeah, dude, I'd like two large anchovie pizzas," a voice groaned.

"What?" Sally asked.

The children had to move away from the speaker to hide their laughter.


	10. Phoning and Driving

Author's Note: It's been a while since I added anything to this story. I don't know how much more I'm going to put up here. I can think of at least two more things, but I don't know. I rewrote chapters 2, 3, and 4 recently and I may rewrite chapters 5 and 6 while I'm at it. The last few chapters of this story was not meant to be taken seriously. It's supposed to be about the love-hate relationship with cell phones. In this chapter, however, I decided to take a break from the light-hearted story and put in something a little more dramatic. This is serious compared the other chapters. It is about something that personally annoys me, that being people who talk on their cell while driving. And instead of paying attention to the road, they are more worried about their phone conversation. Several times accidents almost occured that way, so it's something I felt needed to be mentioned.

On with the story!

* * *

It was late afternoon and the sun sat at its highest peak during that month, making it the least favorite of most of the inhabitants of the town. It was considered the most unlucky day of the year, for it was the day that the most calamities occurred. The name of this dreaded day was Summer Solstice.

Already that morning they had the worst luck, including three victims and two counts of destruction. First the gooman's feet became stuck to the stones at town square. Later one of the vampires nearly passed out because a few rays of sunlight seeped through his coat and scorched his arm. four of the thirteen structures that had been cracking during the Summer months finally broke and came tumbling down to the creatures below. The pillars were holding up the gigantic couldron that was part of the town's plan to make the largest fog brew that was intended to cover the entire Earth on Halloween. It was Sally's idea that she proposed to Jack just weeks before the planning began. When reminding him how well it worked on Christmas Eve, despite that Zero was able to pull through at the last minute, Jack encouraged her to come forth at the meeting and tell them her idea. The townspeople fell in love with it and agreed to give it a shot.

Everything worked out well so far, but the humidity of the day caused the supports to cave in. Everyone ran out of the way of the boulders intending to smash their bones. Jack ordered for the witches to cast their best spells to counter the tumbling stones. Their spells caught the rocks just in time melting them to the rest of the structure. Jack held his skull wondering how all of those columns were going to be replaced on such short notice. The Mayor cried that at the rate they were going they would never finish the plans in time for Halloween. Even Jack had to admit that the destruction of the pillars would put them back at least a week.

After that accident Jack called an assembly with the Mayor and the four project coordinators. The meeting lasted nearly two hours with each creature arguing over whose idea was best. Mayor found out a counter to everything brought up.

"Why not have the witches use a spell to raise the columns?" Werewolf asked.

"Because if they use up all their energy now there won't be any left for Halloween!" Mayor cried.

"But Halloween's not for another few months," argued the head vampire.

"But this is the worst of all days to cast spells," the smallest witch retorted.

"Yes, on this day we wouldn't dare try magic," the taller witch added. "The spell may cause worse damage to what's left."

"How about putting it off 'til a cooler day," the demon spoke.

"Yes, one less sunny too," the vampire added trying to expand the parasol before the rays scorched him to ashes.

"But then we'll get so far behind," Mayor whined.

"It's just one day," the demon retorted.

"But that's a total of twenty-four hours wasted," Mayor argued.

"But we never work a full twenty-four," the witch pointed out.

"Yes, but maybe we should," Mayor suggested.

Everyone in the council turned and glared at the Mayor. He pulled the brim of his hat down over his eyes and muttered a rejection to his own idea.

Jack had already tuned their arguments out five minutes prior when he realized that no matter what idea the group suggested it would ultimatley be opposed. He sat down on the fountain with one long leg crossed over the other. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and began to play with the flap. He opened it then let it close, then opened it again, then shut. He repeated the pattern for a good two minutes, listening for the light creak while it opened then the thud when the two edges met. His face brightened everytime his eye sockets caught the glimpse of his spooky mansion that he set as the background on his phone. He suddenly wondered what Sally chose as her background. Jack shook his head, it didn't matter at the time, it was probably something simple that made her smile.

"What do you think Jack?" the Mayor's voice asked.

Jack closed his phone and glanced up at the five faces staring at him. He guessed, by the smiling face on the Mayor, that they reached some plausible outcome.

"I'm sorry, what?" Jack asked as he put the phone back inside his pocket.

"What do you think about the idea?" Werewolf asked.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't listening," Jack replied. The Mayor's nervous face spun around. "Could you please repeat it."

"This is a catastrophe!" Mayor cried with his hands on his face. "We can't do anything without Jack's approval!"

The other four groaned and walked away, leaving Jack to fend for himself.

"Wait! You can't go, we're in the middle of a meeting," Mayor cried.

"Call us when we have a plan," the Demon called.

Once Jack was able to calm the Mayor down to the point to explain the new plans again, he agreed to go through with it. At that point his own personal opinion mattered little to him, he merely complied to keep the Mayor quiet.

The Mayor announced the new plans to the group on his megaphone the second Jack gave his say-so. Two of the teams set off to rebuild the pillars. It was the Mayor's idea that everyone pitch in, against the will of the other members of the group. Jack negated the Mayor's idea, saying it was better to wait until a cooler month to continue. They decided to compromise putting only two teams towards reconstruction and having everyone else continue with the other plans. Mayor was not one to argue with the king.

While they were in the middle of construction, a boulder slipped fromt the corpse's hands dropped and smashed into the lantern post. The glass shattered and the pole fell to the ground. The flames began to lap at everything it came in contact with, which included the plans for that year's Halloween that the Mayor accidentally dropped when he heard the noise.

Jack was the first to notice the fire's intent for destroying the blueprints. He ordered for those nearby to attatch the hose to the fountain and put out the fire before it spread to the nearby buildings. The Mayor realized the folded sheets of paper were missing from his pocket. He glanced around and shrieked when he saw the flames slowly incinerating them to ash. He jumped through the smoke to retrieve the plans.

"Mayor, what are you doing?" Jack yelled.

"I have to...for Halloween!" Mayor cried as he grasped the plans.

"Mayor, it's not worth it. We know what our plans are!" Jack shouted. "And we can come up with new ideas!"

He handed them to Jack who was currently yelling for him to get to safety. Jack snatched the charred papers and threw them aside on the nearby rocks. His other hand reached for Mayor's. Jack's long, bony fingers grasped Mayor's short, chubby ones. He pulled him away from the flames.

Several of the residents grabbed the nearby water hose and filled it with the water from the fountain. They sprayed until all the flames were put to rest. Even the most rational idea such as putting out a fire was doomed to fail on Summer Solstice. The water knocked over a thick plank of wood from the construction site.

Jack was in the process of retrieving the Mayor from the rubble. The beam fell and landed on the Mayor's left leg. He screamed, sending Jack tumbling backwards. Jack blinked as the Mayor bled from the wound. He stood up and ordered that all nearby hands to help him lift the block. In no time the Mayor was rescued from yet another disaster. He was picked up and carried over to the edge of the fountain. Unfortunately his favorite tall hat was destroyed by the flames.

"That does it, everyone," Jack called out on the Mayor's megaphone. "From now on we will never do any work on this day."

The people of the town cheered and yelled in agreement at their king's decision. Most of them knew it was Jack's intention for years to make that day a holiday, but the Mayor insisted that they never take a full day off except the day before and after Halloween. And on Christmas, which had recently been established an official holiday by the Halloweentown Board thirty years ago. Jack made a mental note to bring up Summer Solstice as a holiday at the next board meeting. Perhaps after the unfortunate injuries this year it would be a unanimous vote in favor.

Jack walked over to where a ghost dressed the Mayor's broken leg. Jack glanced away and sighed. He rose his face to watch the Mayor wince in pain with every movement of the bandage. The ghost smiled and assured their elected official that he would be healed in no time. All the creatures of Halloweentown mended within the span of fourty-eight hours. Jack listened as the ghost instructed that the Mayor take off the next two days, three to be safe. Mayor argued that he would be needed to make sure the operation went according to schedule.

Jack stepped up and said, "Mayor, I think it's best you do as he says."

The Mayor opened his mouth to speak but let the words go upon the stern look on Jack's face.

"Now, you're in no condition to drive, I'll take you home," Jack volunteered.

Mayor nodded. Jack and the ghost lifted Mayor onto Behemoth's back. The massive creature carried Mayor over to his hearse and gently placed him inside the passenger seat. Jack placed a firm pillow of slime under the Mayor's bandaged ankle and knee. The slime pillows were another of the Mayor's genious slime inventions over his sixty year reign in council. Jack took the driver's seat and buckled up.

The skeleton stared over at the car's owner. His face was on the pale, white side, but instead of his usual nervous frown that occupied that mood, he wore a sincere sorrowful one. He stared down at his folded hands.

"Look, Mayor, I'm sorry about what happened," Jack spoke as he began to drive away.

Mayor lifted his head to meet the sympathetic eyes of Jack. He looked away and nodded. "It's alright."

"I promise we'll keep on schedule," Jack spoke. "Don't worry."

"But I will worry."

"Worrying will only delay the healing process."

Mayor sighed.

"Two, three days from now you'll be surprised how quick we'll have this project moving," Jack said with a grin.

Mayor smiled.

The two rode in silence for another mile. It was only another three miles until they reached the Mayor's house at the end of the town. He lived at the town limits, but spent most of his hours down at town hall. There had been several times when Jack walked into the Mayor's office and found him passed out at his desk or on the floor. Jack was somewhat glad the Mayor was injured for it would give him time to recuperate his overstressed mind.

Jack's cellphone chimed. He picked up the phone with one hand while keeping the other one on the wheel. He flipped open the top to receive the caller's identity.

"Hello, Sally," Jack said as he put the phone up to his skull.

"Jack, what's going on?" Sally asked hysterically.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"I saw the flames and the smoke from the window," Sally cried. "When I ran out everyone was shouting and running around. What's going on?"

"We just had a little accident," Jack replied.

"What accident?"

Jack slightly swerved as he answered her question. "We had a fire. And the Mayor was hurt."

"Jack, watch your driving!" Mayor cried.

Jack brought the car back under his control.

"Oh my gosh!" Sally shouted. "Is he okay?"

Jack glanced over at the man in question then returned his eyes to the road. "Yeah, he's fine. Just a broken leg."

"That's terrible," spoke Sally.

"It is," Jack replied as the wheel skidded as it began to run off the road.

"Jack!" Mayor hissed. "This is my car. Be careful!"

Jack nodded.

"What's going on?" Sally asked. "It sounded like the Mayor."

"It was, I'm driving him home," Jack answered.

"While you're on the phone!" Sally exclaimed. "Jack, you can get in an accident."

"Yeah, but you..."

"No, hang up right now! You can talk to me later."

"Jack," Mayor whined as the car darted into the other lane.

"I'm okay," Jack said.

"No, I don't want another accident today," Sally said forcefully.

"Jack. Jack! JACK!" Mayor cried.

Jack realized he was heading for a tree. He braked and brought the car back to its correct lane. Mayor grasped his bald head with his hands as he tried to catch his breath.

"Call you later," Jack said short of breath as he closed the phone.

Jack brought the vehicle to a halt. There was rarely any traffic in Halloweentown, for most citizens chose to walk unless it was an emergency. Jack looked over at the Mayor who had his hand over his chest.

"Mayor, are you...?" Jack began.

Mayor glared at the pumpkin king. "Jack, don't ever talk on that phone again while driving my car."

"Yes, I under..."

"I mean never!" Mayor snapped. He leaned his face forward into his hands and groaned.

Jack was taken back having never heard the Mayor take that tone before. He took a deep breath and continued his journey down the street.

* * *

There's this chapter. I know it was different from the others, but I felt this chapter fit with this story. The next one won't be so serious. I think there's only going to be 2 more chapters, 3 at the most, or many more if I come up with other ideas. I hope you enjoyed this one.

Remember, don't talk and drive!


	11. Locked Out

Disclaimer: I still do not own The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Note: This chapter is actually based on something that happened to my friend five years ago. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Once again the three trick-or-treaters found themselves in Jack's office. The skeleton held a bony hand to his skull. The three children sat in the chairs, looking at their shoes, pretending to be contrite. They were decent actors, the pumpkin king had to give them that. Jack made them remove their masks so that he could see their faces during the lecture.

"I believe you all know why you're here," Jack said in an authoritative voice. The three children nodded in response. Jack sighed. Never before had this been an issue, it was all due to those dang inventions they called cellular phones.

Not that Jack was downing the precious technology. He silently muttered an apology to the phone resting comfortably in his pocket. Maybe there was a reason people in the human world had to go to therapy due to their attachments to recent technology. He promised himself he would never get wrapped up in such a petty phenomenon, but what one says before differs from when they actually become a part of it.

The skeleton's attention drifted back to the matter at hand. He was glad that the offense this time was not a serious one, as much as it was public annoyance. Still, he felt he should be the one to step in and correct their behavior before it expanded into something worse.

"Well, do you have anything to say for yourselves?" Jack asked with his hands on his slender hips. There was no response. "Lock," Jack said in that aversive voice. The child who usually wore the devil mask looked up at the irate skeleton and shook his head before looking down at his feet once more. "Shock," his attention fell on the only female in the group. She sniffled for dramatic effect and shook her head. Had Jack eyeballs, he would have rolled them at her obviously fake crying. He then turned to Barrel who looked more bored than anything.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Barrel said in a bored tone. He would rather be at home eating candy not having to listen to bone-man's lecture.

"You should be," Jack stated. "Prank calls are not funny. They're annoying." The three children cringed at Jack's increase in volume. "People in this town don't like you three very much and doing things like this will not change their opinions."

At this point Barrel had already started tuning Jack out. He grabbed the device from his pocket that got him into this trouble in the first place. He started playing with buttons on his phone while Jack continued to lecture them on manners and how to be better behaved. They never listened to what he said so the youngest trick-or-treater could not understand why Jack continued to call them to his office for a lecture whenever they did something.

Fortunately for Barrel, Jack had his back turned to the three at the moment. Shock was contemplating whether or not she should slingshot the apple she had on her at the moment. He had yet to reveal the punishment for their late actions and decided to wait to see what he planned on doing before possibly worsening the consequences.

Barrel's chubby fingers pressed buttons as he took the time to experiment with settings that he did not even know came with his phone. He went through volume, internet connections, and game settings. He glanced up every now and then to make sure Jack remained in the dark that he was not listening. At least with his phone Jack's lesson was less boring. He smirked as he thought of how his siblings had yet to take his lead and were trying their best to look sorry.

Jack turned back around. "In conclusion, I think you need to learn that this behavior will not be tolerated anymore," he said in a strict voice. "Therefore I will—"

Jack was sharply cut off by a shriek from the youngest child. Barrel's pale face scrunched up as he yelled at the phone in his grasp. He pressed codes repeatedly, but none were the accurate one to access the phone he accidentally locked himself out of.

"No! What? I didn't!" Barrel exclaimed. He was unaware that all eyes were on him. "Stupid phone!" He tried another possible combination only for it to read that it was not the correct code to get back in his phone. With a scream he tossed the phone against the stone wall. The back of the phone fell off startling the others.

"Barrel, what's your problem now?" Shock screeched.

Barrel crossed his little arms and pouted. "My phone locked me out."

"So you threw it?" Jack asked.

Barrel nodded. Jack sighed. Perhaps he was not the only one who needed to see a psychiatrist about something. Perhaps he should force the three of them into anger management. Then again they would probably lead the entire organization into a mob and set the town ablaze.

Jack shook his head as he picked up the two pieces. Luckily the battery had just fallen out and other than a few minor scratches to the screen there was no real damage.

Barrel held out his hand when Jack fixed the phone. The skeleton dropped it on his desk and shook his head.

"Now, I think the best punishment for these actions would be to take away your phones for a month," Jack said calmly, waiting for the explosion of protests.

Sure enough all three of them jumped to their feet, exclaiming that the pumpkin king was being most unfair. Jack sighed and rubbed his aching temples. He was meant to run a town, not babysit a bunch of brats. He wondered how Oogie had such control over them when he was alive.

After enduring enough of the screaming Jack made a scary face and screamed causing all three to tremble. He cleared his throat then pointed to the spot next to where Barrel's phone rested. Lock and Shock argued a little more, but eventually gave in seeing as how Jack was losing their patience. He threatened to extend the time to two months when persuaded them to give in.

After the cell phones were placed on the desk, the three left the office in a single file line. Jack turned them off then placed them inside a box where he would craftily store them lest the siblings try and sneak in town hall at night and try to steal them back.

Jack sighed as he sat down to begin paperwork. The talk about the children prank calling citizens, pretending the ones they pranked were pizza shops made the skeleton hungry for pizza. It would be nice to give Sally a break from cooking.

Jack's bony fingers picked up an envelope that was addressed to him and Sally. He noticed the phone company's name at the top. He opened it up to reveal a bill that included extra charges. Ringtones and texting, he was sure he had not done any of those. Suddenly the memory of Sally's interesting ringtone the other day surfaced. He groaned and made a mental note to have a talk with his wife about unnecessary spending later on.

* * *

Thanks for reading.

My freshman year in college me and my friend were watching a movie. Halfway through she started playing with her phone. She accidentally locked herself out of the phone and did not know the code to unlock it. In frustration she threw it against the hard walls which caused the back to fall off. Eventually she found out the number she needed to unlock it. Still, it made for an interesting story to add to this story.

Have a nice day!


	12. Times Change

Here is the last chapter, everybody. I had intended this to be on-going, but now seems like a good time to stop.

Before starting the story I would like to thank everyone for reading and a special thanks to those who reviewed the last few chapters.

EuphemiaXSuzaku4ever: Thank you for both of your reviews. It is interesting to see Jack surprised by something new, after all we all know what happened last time. I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Mademoiselle Juko Pax-Prime: Thank you for your reviews. I'm glad you like my weird sense of humor. Thanks again, I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

MissNemisisFace: Thanks for the review. Mayor seems like he would be a nice and faithful husband. Glad you enjoyed and hope you enjoy this chapter.

Dphne: Thanks for the review. Hopefully this wasn't too long of a wait. I hope you enjoy this one.

Thanks again, guys. On with the last chapter.

* * *

Jack sat at his desk filling out paperwork. It was possibly the least glamorous parts of his job, but it had to be done. The best part of paperwork meant that he got two days out of the year Mayor free. It was not as though he disliked Mayor, no on the contrary Jack considered him a close friend, but he needed a few days to himself.

Jack picked up a sheet of paper that consisted of an expense report for the most recent additions to their planning. He scratched his skull. Halloween scares sure had become a lot more expensive over the years. The skeleton blamed Hollywood and their incredible effects for that. People just did not scare as easily as before.

Beneath a mountain of papers the pumpkin king's cell phone buzzed. Jack tilted his head to the side and made a noise of confusion. Since his purchase of the device it found newer ways to puzzle him.

Bony fingers pushed away the charts and graphs along with sheets loaded with text. He found where his cellular had been buried and flipped up the top. There was a picture of a small white envelope in the center of the screen. Jack twisted his mouth. Surely he would have heard the ring had someone called him and left a message. The pumpkin king shrugged then pressed the button that read: open.

A new screen popped up along with word. He blinked twice before reading. It was a written message from Sally: Jack, meet me for coffee later. Jack put a hand under his jawbone while thinking over this new phenomenon. It appeared that one did not have to actually call and talk in order to communicate with the person on the other line. Jack read the bar at the top which revealed it to be a text message.

Jack gasped and rummaged through the various papers on the desk. Surely text messaging was not included in the price. At last he found what he sought. Sure enough texting cost extra. The pumpkin king groaned. That wife of his was going to end up costing him quite a bit with all these extras on her phone.

Finally five o'clock rolled around. Jack picked up his briefcase with the picture of a screaming skull in the center. He waved to the others as he made his way out of town hall. For the first time he noticed the amount of people who were on the cell phones. Several of them had the device against their ears in a more traditional manner while others busied their fingers with texting. Jack shook his head. How could something so simple as a phone to make calls turn into a more complex matter.

Jack was determined not to let the news regarding new phone features ruin his day. He was considered a traditional man by many people in the town. It was a fact Jack was most proud of and he had no intentions of changing to fit the new flow. The old ways worked just fine.

At last he reached the coffee shop. Jack entered, the bell on the door screeching with his presence. The other customers inside each waved and shook hands with him as he entered. Sure enough, on each of the tables, or at least in the hands of one of the creatures sitting at the table, was a cell phone. Jack's eyes fell on the redhead sitting in the back. Her stitched smile still made him melt to this day.

Jack sat down across from his wife. He leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her velveteen lips. The simple action still made Sally giggle. Sally had no issues with Jack's traditional ways.

"Hey, Jack, I ordered your favorite," Sally said pointing to the pumpkin latte on the table. Jack squeezed her hand. That was something he loved about his wife, how well she knew him. Sally always paid attention to the details. It was a trait that made her an exceptional pumpkin queen.

Jack brought the liquid to his lips. It tasted as wonderful as always. The Skellingtons made an effort to go out for coffee at least once a week.

Suddenly Sally's phone buzzed inside her purse. She opened the flap on the patchwork handbag and opened her phone. She giggled at something that was obviously written on the screen.

"Sally?" Jack asked.

Sally shook her head. "Jewel just sent me the funniest text," she said. "Igor, my dad's assistant, mixed up the labels on the chemicals again. Instead of weed killer he now has a talking plant and Igor wants to keep it for a pet." Sally laughed harder as she read it a second time.

Jack lifted a nonexistent brow. "Sally, we need to talk about this."

"Oh, you want another pet?" Sally asked. "Do you think Zero will get along with an animated plant?"

Jack sighed. "Not that, Sally," he replied. "Zero is enough of a pet for now." He cleared his throat then pointed to the phone in Sally's hands. "I got the phone bill today."

"Oh?" Sally asked. "Is it more than we expected?" Jack nodded. "Oh, dear," Sally said with a hand on her face. "They get you with the initial low rates then raise the price."

"No," Jack said shaking his head. "The price hasn't gone up—yet." He sighed and leaned closer. "It's all this texting and extra stuff that's costing."

"Oh, really?" Sally asked. She leaned back against the booth chair. "I'm sorry," she said. "But some of my friends don't talk, they text." She blew a strand of hair out of her face.

"Phones are for calling, not texting," Jack said with a nod of his head.

Sally laughed then retorted, "Not anymore. My dad and Jewel have these new iphones with touch screens that have internet access."

Jack sat up startled. "Internet on a phone?"

"Yeah, it's weird, but convenient," Sally stated. "Imagine needing to look something up that very moment, but you don't want to carry a computer."

Jack laughed. "Wow, that's amazing."

"I know," Sally said with a grin. "Then the Corpse family showed me their new phones this morning. They have a family talk and share program. And their son has all these things called apps where he can listen to music and check his Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter."

Jack's eyes widened. "Really all that?" Sally nodded. Jack put his bony arm on the back of the chair. "Though I'm not sure about all these children having phones. We did just fine in our days without them."

Sally nodded. "Well, it's up to the parents, sweetie." She placed a hand under her chin. "When we have children I want to be able to keep up with them at all times." She looked over at Jack. "Do you think we should upgrade our phone plans to include all these extras?"

Jack shook his head. "I don't want to think about the costs."

"It's not so bad if you get a package deal," Sally said. "Just think of what all we can do with internet access and unlimited texting."

Jack laughed. "You're already on the phone all the time as it is." He playfully slapped her on the wrist. "I'll never get you away from your cell."

Sally laughed and playfully nudged Jack on the arm. "I do not, you're so silly, pumpkin king."

Jack sipped from his latte. "I suppose adding texting won't hurt, but I'm not too sure about those apps right now," he said before taking another swallow.

Sally groaned. "Jack, by the time you make up your mind about that, they'll be outdated."

Jack shuddered. "I hate to think of what else they'll come up with for phones."

"Face the facts, Jack, the times aren't as simple as they used to be," Sally said with a hint of mourning in her voice.

"I know, it's a shame," Jack said sipping from the cup.

* * *

There you have it. I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter. With all the new additions to phones, I'm too overwhelmed. My simple flip-phone is enough for me. Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful day, everyone.


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